Jeff Cooper shares stories and images born of his encounters with birds and wildlife and the places they meet

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Birding California's Orange County: Our Senses Are Blessings

My wife and I drove from Utah down to Orange County, California at the end of September to help some of her siblings care for her aging parents. One parent is giving in to the effects of terminal cancer and the other is being slowly pulled away from all she knows by the relentless grip of Alzheimer's Disease. We spent about four full days sorting through items that had been accumulated and stored over many years in an effort to return a garage to normal use. We were very aware that her parents' time on this earth was growing short so we were creating memories of family helping family.

I often make time to do some birding when I travel and I did so on this trip, but I had some poignant moments during this trip as I sat and visited with my wife's parents and realized how incapacitated they had become. They were so different from the people I met nearly 29 years before when I married their daughter. I imagined myself in their situation and realized what a blessing it is to have health that allows me to move about at will and keenly functioning senses that allow me to hear, see, touch, smell, taste, and feel deeply the beauties (people and nature) of this life. I counted them blessings each morning when I awoke to be with family and to hear the varied songs of the local Northern Mockingbird, the calls of Black Phoebes and Allen's Hummingbirds, and the busy chattering of the small, nomadic flock of Bushtits that passed through the backyard on a daily basis. I more fully appreciated the raptors and other birds perched on poles along the roads as I made my way to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve near Bolsa Chica State Beach, one of my traditional birding spots when I am near Orange County. And, I ended up adding a new birding location during this visit, Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach.

I enjoyed capturing the images below. I hope you enjoy the diversity and beauty of these birds as well.

Thanks, Oliver. It was a real treat. I noticed a group of people with long lenses looking in a certain area so I asked what they were looking for. They pointed me to the Whydah. There was actually a female there as well and the male was displaying for it. I believe they are sub-Saharan birds and their breeding season differs from the birds of North America.

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I spend a great deal of time and resources to obtain the images I share on my blog. Copyright laws declare that I own and retain all rights to my images. Please don't download, copy, reproduce, or distribute these images without my permission. I generally enjoy sharing so please ask if you would like to use any of my images for any purpose other than viewing them on my blog.

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About Me

I'm a husband, father, and grandfather making a living as a sourcing and supply chain management professional. I love people and nature and the places they meet. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and am grateful to the Creator who set in motion the creatures and creations I enjoy as I explore our fascinating world. Blogging allows me to fulfill my passions for exploring, discovering, learning, and sharing. I never tire of seeing what nature has to offer and love capturing and sharing images from my experiences with nature. I currently use Nikon gear and capture most of my images hand-held, without the use of a tripod.